Hollis is an English surname from the Middle English holis and was given to someone who lived near "holly trees". It has a gentle, old-fashioned ring that fits with revived surname names such as Ellis and Hayes. Hollis sat just outside the US top 1000 for years, at number 1000 in 2023 and 1055 in 2024, and entered the list in 2025 at number 894.